I have maximum respect for all managers, says Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche after Ruben Amorim's remarks

Sean Dyche today insisted he has “maximum respect for all managers” after previously questioning the work done by Ruben Amorim at Manchester United.

It was in May that Dyche suggested he would do a better job than the Portuguese at Old Trafford. He told the Stick to Football podcast: “He better win a few games – pretty quickly. I think if I went out there and played my way we'd win more games. Just 4-4-2 – give them ground rules. We all agree on 'Fair Play' – but, it's been there for a while now, so you better start getting wins soon.”

Fast forward five months and Amorim appears to have put United on firmer footing – they are sixth heading into the weekend having won four of their last five league games – while Dyche has been recruited from Nottingham Forest to try and keep them in the top flight.

Amorim previously dismissed Dyche's comments – graciously accepting that they came from his role as an expert – and the former Everton boss was quick to insist there were no bad feelings between the pair.

Speaking ahead of United's visit to the City Ground on Saturday, Dyche said: “I haven't questioned him as a person and I would never do that. Clickbait kills anything.

“I also said I wanted managers to have time and I said he should have half a season to continue what he's doing. I have maximum respect for all managers. I'm pretty sure his media department will have made that clear to him.”

United did what I suggested – Dyche

Dyche also claimed that his suggestion at the time that United simplified their approach had worked, adding: “The basics might have worked better under my suggestion and they changed their style to give it fair play. Not necessarily their beliefs but their style.

“They play faster and longer, a little tighter to get back into shape. That’s management, that’s coaching.

“That doesn't mean he's changed his whole philosophy, he's adapting to what's in front of him, so it's fair play to him. He's shown a bit of flexibility and they're getting results.”

Dyche has played two games in charge of Forest after taking over from Ange Postecoglou, a 2-0 win over Porto and a 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth last Sunday.

His team approaches third place in the Premier League this weekend. and he knows he doesn't have much time to get his ideas across.

He added: “You want to have an instant impact. We did it against Porto with newness, freshness, new voices. It has a really positive effect.

“In the Bournemouth game we felt like we were a bit flat physically and emotionally.

“It's about finding that level of consistency on a daily basis and getting the players to produce that level on a daily basis. There have been a lot of changes for the players, some of them have had three managers in a very short space of time.

“We hope it works right away but it’s difficult to achieve.”

I need time, like Amorim – Dyche

Dyche even cited United as an example of a club where things can improve if the manager is given time.

“Ruben Amorim is a good point just in case,” he said. “It took him a while, but he's gradually getting there after a while. We want to speed things up, that's our plan. We have to do it.

“The rankings don't lie, that's where we are. I told the players that.”

Forest have some injury problems ahead of the weekend clash. Striker Chris Wood remains on the sidelines, alongside Ola Aina, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Dilane Bakwa and Angus Gunn.